Overview

Reclaim a subway station from a horde of locusts. Marcus must fight his way up to the top of the station and then turn around and defend his position.

Concept

With King of the Hill, I wanted to focus purely on combat. The level has three distinct phases. The first has the player exiting a subway car and dealing with wretches. The second has the player hooking up with Delta squad and fighting locusts located on higher ground. Thirdly, after the player makes their way to the top of the station, he must turn around and defend his position as locust pour out of a massive emergence hole.

Design and Technical Highlights
Multipurpose Space - The player starts in a train car and must fight his way up to the top of the train station. At this point, a massive emergence hole opens up and the player can jump on a Troika to take down the invading locusts. The space has the player moving up through it and then turning around to defend his position.

Matinee - An introductory matinee sets the mood of the level. Anya tells Marcus that hostiles are near Delta as two wretches fly by the screen. These elements add to the experience and give players a basis to their actions.

Vertical Combat - The top of the subway station is held by a Troika Gunner, while multiple other locusts are scripted to hold their position and fight from the second level. Finally, locusts are scripted to move down and attack the player to encourage them to move up the platforms and engage the locusts on level ground. When the player reaches the top, they must then turn around and face a horde of locusts sprawling from an emergence hole. Luckily, Troikas don't run out of bullets.

World Building Highlights

* See the image gallery for screenshots with comments about the level.

BSP used for construction and static meshes for decoration

Advanced lighting techniques to accommodate a dark subway tunnel and a bright foyer

Extensive use of decals and clutter to make the space feel war torn

Level Breakdown

Design Goals

• Establish the level with an introduction matinee and easy combat sequence
• Create a fun and engaging vertical combat sequence
• Re-use the space and reward the players' actions

*Please note there are videos below, under goal 1, goal 2 and goal 3 that are annotated and show how the above goals were meet in the level.

I was developing this level at the same time as Parks and Recreation, so I wanted to focus on creating a tight, well-paced and balanced combat sequence. In order to accomplish my goal, I set up three distinct phases of the level. The first introduces the player to the level and gives them an easy combat sequence. The second has the player fighting his way up the steps of the subway station in a difficult combat sequence. The final section of the level rewards the player by allowing him to jump on a Troika machine gun and mow down locusts sprawling out of a massive emergence hole. In order to facilitate a well-paced experience, I gave the player short lulls between each combat sequence to allow time to re-orient and look for ammo.

Overview

Goal 1: Establish the level with an introduction matinee and easy combat sequence

The beginning of the level introduces the player to the space through a matinee. Two wretches groan and fly by the screen toward a subway car, while gun shots can be heard in the distance. Anya comes online and tells the player that hostiles are located near Delta 2.

The level begins with the player moving through the subway car; as he nears the back, a sound cue plays and the wretches jump at the player. This sequence helps build the tension of the level and keeps the player on his toes. Anya’s dialogue guides the player and gives basis to the actions of the characters within the level.

This video is annotated. It discuses design decisions and shows the introduction matinee and first battle of the level.

Goal 2: Create a fun and engaging vertical combat sequence

Vertical combat puts the player in a distinct disadvantage. To compensate for this I did two things: One, I gave the player two friendly AI to help with fighting up the subway station. Two, I gave multiple locusts less health. The locusts with less health take cover right above the player. These locusts are hard to hit but go down with fewer bullets. The locusts with more health guard the tops of stairwells.

As the player progresses up, the Troika Gunner jumps of the turret. This enemy has a helmet and is much stronger than all the other locusts the player has faced up to this point. The battle begins difficult and becomes easier as the player progresses and finally ramps back up with the fight against the Troika Gunner.

This video is annotated. It discuses design decisions and shows the vertical combat sequence in the middle of the level.

Goal 3: Re-use the space and reward the players' actions

In order to re-use the space I put a large emergence hole in the long hallway that the player enters the main part of the station from. This hallway contains no cover and the player moves quickly through it at the beginning of the stage.

At the top of the station, the player can choose to jump on the Troika Gun or grab a sniper rifle to pick off locusts. This sequence is easy because the player has a large height advantage. However, the intent behind this design is to reward the player with a fun shooting gallery after he completes the difficult middle section of the level.

This video is annotated. It discuses design decisions and shows the final combat sequence of the level.